The Ozarks: America's Identity Crisis

[@EmperorTigerstar]

Edit: Thanks for over a million views everyone! Be sure to see the other Project Homecoming 2 videos here: kzbin.info/aero/PLjnwpaclU4wV5RHTFL8xWYALVIf2hFoUu

[@Bruce_Games]

Can you do the Cajuns next it’s very similar to this with maybe a bit more of the stereotypes being true

[@marth6270]

'Aux Arcs' is pronounced 'Oz ark'

[@turtley4444]

Your from missouri?

[@JessicaL085]

I loved this video!! My family comes from the Ozarks, my mom and dad's side both; and both sides have stories of Bigfoot. Oddly enough, they sound very similar even though the location of the stories are several hundred miles apart. My daddy has his own encounter story. He hasn't told very many people at all, probably because my dad even struggles with the story. He's a man "cursed with a literal mind." If I can't see it, it doesn't exist type of person, so to hear my dad tell the story, is bone chilling. Knowing that he is such a factual man

[@Game_Hero]

doesn't seem like many people did.

[@ArakkoaChronicles]

Fun fact, as a European, I had no idea the Ozarks were a thing at all until I played the After the End mod for Crusader Kings 2. I looked around the are down there and saw like a kingdom of the Ozarks or something like that and thought "that's a weird name, I bet it's made up". Spoiler alert, it was not.

[@jurajsoltis5077]

After the end has taught me a lot more than I like to admit

[@sephikong8323]

Exactly the same for me. This mod was surprisingly informative (for something which allowed me to make a restored America following the writing of Lovecraft as if these were religious texts about the Gods of this world ....)

[@georgebad4229]

Fun fact, as a New Englander I had no idea it was a thing until the show came out.

[@RouxAroo666]

Glad you learned about our homehills. I love ATE partially because I can play my home region for the first time in any game.

[@analienmango8756]

After the End bros rise up My favorite person to play is the chief of the Haida

[@realmless4193]

As a fellow Ozarkan I am glad you are spreading info about the history of our region.

[@actually_a_circle]

That's cool, I didn't know he was from the Ozarks. I'm from west Arkansas too

[@stonewallsquad3343]

The great state of Ozarkansas will be made manifest

[@druidgrif]

Another one checking in...

[@unseeliesperg6130]

Here to rep the ZigZag Mountains in that 501! Spa City for Life!

[@martinphilip8998]

More than 60 years ago I spent a week in Butterfield, MO. I still have fond memories of that experience. I was a guest of a family on a trip to visit grandpa’s farm. To me it was a huge motor journey. Gene, the dad, flew me home in a rented plane. Dang. I guess as a 7 year I figured anybody could just fly a plane. 😂

[@bugman72]

As a person born in Springfield and raised in Branson, I am proud to tell others that I am from the region. I appreciate the time and effort you have put into this video to show others that we aren't really "hicks" or "hillbillies" and the region in general laughs all the way to the bank by cashing in on the stereotypes that others love to come see and experience.

[@slughoused]

I’m from Little Rock, and I run an auto road rally company based purely on how fantastic the roads are and pretty this place is

[@DONKEYKONG260]

I live in-between Monet MO and Rogers AR. I honestly take hillbilly as a compliment. Better than redneck.

[@CobbleBompster]

I have tons of family members who are in the region, I was born in Columbia, but moved to St. Louis.

[@CobbleBompster]

@@slughousedthat paired with the awesome attractions in the area, specifically Silver Dollar City, which the theming in that park is on par with Disney and Universal theming, it’s incredible.

[@jackdanson2]

​@@CobbleBompsterSilver Dollar City is wonderful. I've been to dozens of theme parks across the country, and if you take price into account it's probably the best theme park in the country. Yes Disney and Universal are better parks, they also cost 5x as much to visit. Also I had a family member with a medical emergency while we were there and they were absolutely wonderful taking care of us. I'm also in a mixed race family so we had slight concerns about Branson, because you hear the rural stereotypes . And while we certainly stood out... it's not a diverse area.. we were treated completely normally and respectfully everywhere we went.

[@electropneumatic]

As a Missourian I've often felt that our state is an absolute hidden gem for it's beauty and nature. I think it's one of the reasons the state's population may not agree on a lot of things but we can all agree on conservation and wildlife preservation. My whole family settled in the Ozarks by way of Tennessee and Arkansas and eventually landed in Saint Louis, Springfield, and Columbia with people scattered across the Saint Francois Mountain region. A truly beautiful area with bluffs, hills, dense forest, and of course, streams, creeks, and rivers. Thanks for the history lesson.

[@johnmackshighlights8103]

On me. Most underrated state

[@coachbrandon01]

Missouri is or was the state with The best conservation laws, in USA. This comes after we were messing things up, pretty badly. Mostly tourists.

[@Yee-Haw-MMA]

I agree. Moved away to Texas for 3 years and came back because I couldn’t live without my MO. A lot of people here don’t like it, I was the same way. Didn’t realize how much I loved Missouri until I wasn’t here anymore

[@173jaSon371]

I'm a born and raised New Englander. I have been visiting Missouri and extreme Southern Illinois since I was 6 months old though. I now live out in Missouri for the last half decade and began wildlife photography a couple years ago after already having hiked a ton of the local trails out here, I needed something fresh and new. The amount of wildlife I see in this region, especially now that I've learned a TON, is absolutely staggering. Things I used to think were nearly impossible to just get a clear view of, I now have awesome photos of up close in the flesh. I've had over 100 Barred Owl sightings, I've seen probably almost 2 dozen snake species, beaver, mink, otter, muskrat, bobcat, hawks mating, and so many other things. One day I literally climbed a tree with a stuck Bald Eagle in it hanging upside down from it's stuck leg, I scared it enough that it used its last burst of energy to free its leg! I had called some local conservation depts but it was sunday morning in Dec in a remote area, so I took it into my own hands. I believe the pair(there were 2 in the tree) were mating and 1 fell forward. The road I found them on, I've maybe driven down 5-10 times in 2 years looking for wildlife and just so happened to travel that way that morning. Nature is crazy, and there is soo much of it here in MO and southern IL. (If you want to see my photos, you can find me at Jason Lapre on Flickr)

[@toomsenvaughn]

I was born in Columbia, and live in boonville. Missouri is definitely a gem. There are so many great parks and rivers here

[@bessie8612]

As a Southern Appalachian, this seems very familiar, we even had a local silver dollar city

[@TopHatJacks_alt]

I am also an inhabitant of the Southern Appalachian range and in the first minute I instantly saw parallels.

[@NewHorizonsBeats]

Interesting. Colin Woodard, in his book “American Nations”, considered the Ozark region part of a nation he called “greater Appalachia.”

[@mygills3050]

same here

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

We still do, Dollywood is owned by the same people who own Silver Dollar City: Herschend Family Entertainment

[@IncredibleMD]

The Ozarks are just a non-contiguous part of Appalachia.

[@stevenroetzel4470]

As a German- Scots Irish Hillbilly from the Ozarks, I kept waiting for you to screw up the history of my family/region, but you never did. The best explanation of the Ozarks ever. The only thing that was left out to my mind was the fact that the Boston Mountains are the Oldest (and therefore the smallest) Mountains on the Continent. Beautifully Well Done Sir.

[@marykab106]

I totally agree. I grew up in Springfield Mo, and after some years of traveling a lot, i moved back into my parent's home and into my old bedroom :) i had missed a lot of the things we take for granted in Southwest Missouri. I can walk out our front door and go for a run on safe trails with pretty views. It's a pretty easy drive to Kansas City if you want more options for food and entertainment. Not that we don't have plenty in the Springfield area. There seems to be a bit more violent crime now in Springfield than when I was growing up. I figured it was drug-related and it seems to be that and the gangs that can spring up in an environment like that. I won't stay here forever, I am not sure where I will head next. I do love the Midwest and Ozark areas. I would tell people I met on my travels that I was a hillbilly, though that was hardly the case. So great to hear a big KZbinr talking about our area along with doing that as part of a bigger program of historians talking about their home town areas :) BTW, he failed to mention that to some extent, Route 66 was "created" in Springfield :) OK, it was just the name, but .... naming is marketing! :) Keep up the good work!

[@heatherc.7706]

geologist here! the Boston Mountains are very old, but the reason they are so small is because they are not, by the geological definition, mountains. (none of the Ozarks are). The Ozarks are actually three stacked plateaus (the Boston Mountains, Springfield, and Salem Plateaus) which have been strongly eroded to create the characteristic hill-and-holler landscape. You can see this very clearly in the road cuts on I-49: the rock layers are all flat and mostly horizontal, whereas in 'true' mountains they form zigzag patterns due to folding.

[@GeckoHiker]

As a former resident of Appalachia and current Ozarks resident I have to correct the mountain age statement. The Appalachian mountain chain is the oldest on the North American continent, and in Ireland, Scotland, and Greenland where it also resides. Evening having a Cherokee and Irish lineage this is not blarney.

[@MelonHead78]

The arbuckle mountains are older

[@heatherc.7706]

@@GeckoHiker to clarify, the 'greater Appalachian' system is the oldest on the continent. but it includes most if not all of the mountains east of the Great Plains (including the Ouachitas in SW Arkansas), not just the Appalachian cultural region. In general the mountains get older as you move North and West toward the interior of the continent.

[@TheInternationalHistorian]

As an Oklahoman It was always strange how everyone thought we were entirely flat like the panhandle but the entire east half is either the Ozark foot hills or an entirely separate region of the Ouachita Mountains. Funnily enough even though the mountain range in the Ozarks touch the other, they are completely differently culturally somehow via the magic of the Arkansas river divide.

[@RadarLeon]

In everyone's defence the western side is almost like a flat desolate wasteland I exaggerate but I do remember spiders hanging down out of the very few trees so many nightmares from my childhood

[@larrycox7169]

I grew up on the western side of the state and love the prairie!! Retired to the Cookson Hills area on Lake Kerr. It's a whole different world. People here are distant and far less friendlier, but really good, hard-working folks. The area is very poor, and jobs are scarce. I worry about the future for most. Wheat, oil-gas, wind and solar make the western half of Oklahoma better for families. Better weather and fishing make the eastern half retirement paradise. Ohhh, and CHEAPER!!!

[@christophersharp1884]

I'm a fellow Oklahoman and jobs are becoming scarce all over Oklahoma. It seems right now that everyone that was privately owned is closing or working for the government to survive. with war and rising prices, I'm worried it will get only worse for Oklahoma. especially the cost of electricity is out of the roof in cost almost as much as my first house payments. @@larrycox7169

[@apexkiller66-94]

@@RadarLeonWichita mountains?? Like did you explore?

[@Grizzlox]

I grew up in Amarillo, with family from all over Oklahoma and I moved to Missouri. Oklahoma is like 4 different "States" rolled into one. The Oklahoma panhandle is just a hybrid between NW Texas and Kansas. Western Oklahoma is the prairie that everyone thinks of. Eastern Oklahoma is basically "Hey Ozarkians, you can come here to gamble but you have to pay the toll." While southern Oklahoma is, "Hey Texans, you can come here to gamble but you have to pay the toll."

[@Nate_Higgins]

As a born and raised Ozarker, I love seeing this content. I'm from Fayetteville, and I can tell you that we are now becoming Little Austin. I feel like the migration of Californians to Texas is coinciding with a migration of Texans to NW Arkansas.

[@jbetnar]

Ugh, keep em out

[@jesseroggio7260]

You're exactly right, and the fact they're now paying the same amount for tuition as Arkansans doesn't help. It's changed drastically since I got here in 1997. Im from Murfreesboro AR originally.

[@PolkRidgeAesthete]

That's certainly distressing to hear. Fayetteville has had enough trouble with "diversity" for years, anyway, as has much of the rest of northwest Arkansas.

[@katie7748]

Mmhmm I loathe what's happening to NW AR

[@ridiculous_renovations]

That's me. Doing a massive remodel on my channel in the ozarks, (Boston mountain area) after fleeing dfw to get away from traffic, heat, smog and property taxes.

[@FlyingAlfredoSaucer]

I'm from the Ozarks! Specifically, from Ozark (a city in Missouri.) I always love to see local history, Missouri is a lot more important than people give it credit for.

[@bawicz0]

Ork

[@MegrelMamba]

?

[@Weavileiscool]

Ah yes, Ozark, Missouri, in the Ozarks

[@pancsaer2]

Isn't there like 5 different towns called Ozark in the Ozarks?

[@FlyingAlfredoSaucer]

@@pancsaer2 There's one in Missouri and one in Arkansas, I don't know of any others though.

[@Rauruatreides]

Representation for those of us in the Ozarks is much appreciated.

[@LMStevens]

As someone who lives in Ozark County, I’m proud of us. These are the best people I know, and I was born in Europe and I have lived on 4 continents. We really hope nobody discovers us because we like what we have.

[@MrCashewkitty]

I once went on a solo, 13 day backpacking and camping trip into the Mark Twain and never saw another human the entire time. Amazing

[@neverettebrakensiek8771]

Agreed, keep the secret or the outside comes in and destroys.

[@RabidLeech1]

Do you know Dawt Mill on the north fork river? If not I’d recommend checking it out

[@crixa6120]

When I travel through the Ozarks, I think of my ancestors and how they longed to stop there because the area reminded them so much of their beloved Smoky Mountains they were forced out of during the Trail of Tears. I grew up hearing about how the whites living there chased them out of every town they came across. Our tribe was finally able to settle in the tail end of the Ozarks in Oklahoma.

[@samdressman3055]

As a fellow Missourian, this was a really cool history lesson! Great job!

[@TheOnlyCaprisun]

Hello Missourian! It still feels odd seeing others in the wild.

[@cosmos9688]

@@TheOnlyCaprisun We aren't in the wild. We are too busy square dancing in Branson for that.

[@TheOnlyCaprisun]

@@cosmos9688 True, true.

[@tylerdarkcaster8322]

I grew up in the lead-mining region of MO! This was a really cool video, I hope Tigerstar does more on Ozark history and stuff.

[@MasterOfCydonia]

I am a native born son of St.L, I have been to the Ozarks a few times. I always loved how you can travel 40ish minutes south of the city-county area and be plunged into a land that looks so radically different from every other region surrounding it.

[@iankocur8397]

Point of pronunciation: "Aux arcs" would actually be pronounced pretty similar to Ozark. Aux is normally pronounced as "oh", but since the next word begins with a vowel you carry over and pronounce the x (with a z sound) to make it flow.

[@tomislavmirkovic1126]

Liaisonage

[@StrummaChick]

I learned in my Missouri Ozarks HS French class that Aux Arcs is exactly where the name came from Great comment

[@Smytjf11]

Oh, no. Please don’t come here. If I told you how they pronounce the names here you’d faint.

[@psyoptic]

@@Smytjf11 Gotta love how we say Nevada, Versailles, and Auxvasse. La Plata is probably wrong too

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

In Arkansas there's a town called Oark too, which is pronounced roughly the same as you've described.

[@omicronoverlord3533]

As a Missourian from the southeast edge, I think you did the Ozarks a bit of justice here. I went to college in poplar bluff which I've often said is the edge of the world because it's basically the southern gateway to the Ozarks and I have many fond memories of driving through the heavily wooded Ozark hills late into the night. Truly it is a place of comfort so thank you again.

[@Grizzlox]

I'm a Texan that moved to Southwest Missouri in 2009. I absolutely love the Ozarks and I'm proud to now call them home.

[@soggyrecluse7302]

Please stop driving on the shoulders, that’s not a thing here

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

The Osage were originally known as the Ni-U-Kon-Ska, which means "children of the middle waters". The Osage inhabited a vast territory that formerly included Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas as well as the area between the Missouri and Red rivers, thus their name. Today they call themselves Wah-Zha-Zhi or Wahzhazhe, which was translated by French explorers and fur traders as Ouazhigi, which later became the English name Osage. Osage life centred on religious ceremonials in which clans were divided into symbolic sky and earth groups, with the latter further subdivided to represent dry land and water. The Osage were remarkable for their poetic rituals. Among them was the custom of reciting the history of the creation of the universe to each newborn infant. After they were forced off Kansas to Oklahoma, on reservation land that they bought, oil was discovered on their land in Oklahoma. They had retained communal mineral rights during the allotment process, and many Osage became wealthy through returns from leasing fees generated by their headrights. However, during the 1920s and what was known as the Reign of Terror, they suffered manipulation, fraud, and numerous murders by outsiders eager to take over their wealth.

[@jbos5107]

Thank you for your comment. I admit the only thing I ever heard of was the Osage murders. A terrible story. Your comment was about their beauty. We need to remember both stories.

[@laserflexr6321]

@@jbos5107 What we all should learn is the WHOLE story, not a cherry picked subset to further an agenda of division.

[@patrickbledsoe2176]

I live here and this is Cherokee territory now

[@snowdest]

Thank you for educating us Supreme Leader. :) Seriously, though. I appreciate the added context for the history of native peoples.

[@markwilliams5606]

So many Had to go West. Greed is the word. Great place for Family.🦌🦃🦆🍖

[@danbgt]

The wife and I are motorcycle tourers. We live in Texas. Back in 2006 we rode up to Eureka Springs, Arkansas to participate in a small get together and fell in love with the Ozarks. Over the past 20 years we have ridden in all 49 states that have roads to them and nearly all of Canada. We have seen some amazing, beautiful and awesome places. But the only place we keep going back to is The Ozarks. We have ridden all over The Ozarks and now consider the area our second home. It’s a beautiful area and the people there are mostly good folks. We’ll keep going back.

[@MartianAmbassador69]

Mostly?

[@justinwatts8623]

Have you been to Oark? I recommend it.

[@danbgt]

@@justinwatts8623 Yes. Been there a couple of times. Great place!

[@radfarlander]

@@MartianAmbassador69 Well, you've got to skip Harrison, AR. Look it up.

[@danbgt]

@@radfarlander Have good friends that live in Harrison.

[@trashpanda314]

I’m a St. Louisan who spent my youth in the Ozarks on float trips, camping, on the lake, road trips. I went off and joined the Army and lived all over. Came back to St. Louis for a few years and always felt the calling to go back to the Ozarks. A couple years ago I moved to a tiny town of 345 in the St. Francois mountains. I’m at the age where unnecessary noise pisses me off, so I absolutely love it here. I’m a 5 minute walk to Big Creek and a 5 minute SxS ride to the Black River(which I grew up floating). It’s one of my favorite places on earth and I feel blessed to call this beautiful land my home. If you haven’t been, do yourself the favor of visiting. The people are wonderful, the scenery is majestic, and the food is country down home good.

[@couragecoachsam]

I grew up near Appalachia, living with my wife now who grew up in the Ozarks. I love hills, forests, and thunderstorms.

[@animesucks9863]

I live in the Northwest Arkansas area and I absolutely love every bit of the gorgeous mountains I'm in. You can take the boy out of the mountains, but you can't take the mountains out of the boy

[@RepubsWannaMarryKids]

I find the Ozarks some of the prettiest scenery I have seen in the country tbh, and I have been to many parks in many states.... I just love the sort of environment that comes from the weather, all the lush green.

[@aaronTGP_3756]

As a Springfield resident, it's good to see my homeland getting coverage.

[@goose93]

Bro which Springfield there are like a thousand of them

[@yaboiandrew2058]

@@goose93the one from the Simpsons

[@highway2heaven91]

@@goose93Missouri

[@waldo_9338]

@@goose93 The one in the Ozarks smart guy

[@Weavileiscool]

@@goose93Bro the one in the Ozarks that also happens to be the most populous one

[@jovannib2913]

It was so cool too watch this being born and raised in the Ozarks, then when you mentioned Brooks. I’m a Blevins and my family was full of good ole Missouri hillbillies, there are still some to this day. They originally were like any other settlers/pioneers but after long they either played into the label or never fully recovered from the Great Depression and left with no choice but to embrace the label. Being poor lead to a lack of proper dental care and medicine, strange diets, and strange means of being resourceful in the hills. These hardships helped them fit the criteria that much more. My family knows how to be goofy without worrying about judgement because they know people will assume whatever they want as long as the criteria fits. They are fun people and have lived quite the lives…I had a great uncle get kidnapped by Bonnie and Clyde during a shootout in the ozarks…..and a great grandpa who met Jesse James. They have the wildest stories I’ve ever heard and I even believe I’ve heard stories of Gold in caves.

[@rb3011]

I know some Blevins’ here in Bentonville, my hometown. I love being from here, especially back when it was a piddly little town with nothing but a ballpark, ONE Walmart, a few gas stations and restaurants.

[@redcaddiedaddie]

There was a 'Hollis Blevins' in Pierce City when I lived there...kin?

[@stephenhargrave7922]

Not to mention being deliberately starved under martial law after the civil war. Causes long term health problems that are generational.

[@nikkigriffith6778]

Amazing thank you for sharing! My family has hillbilly and they are the salt of the earth!

[@MrCashewkitty]

I've known a lot of good Blevin's around the Branson/Forsyth and surrounding areas.

[@michaelbenge2388]

We are proud Ozark-Americans. Don’t confuse our laid back culture of manners as being unintelligent. You’d be mistaken. 😊

[@kedeglow2743]

Amen!

[@Adam-hl5rx]

Don't let the folks of the Ozarks fool you. I'm from the ouchitas and they are just as backwards as us... lol. Jk. Most of us ar good hearted hard working people

[@squidythe3rd927]

Springfielder here, my neurons activated the second I saw this video in my recommended haha. So happy for our little slice of the USA to get some attention!

[@lalababayaga]

I grew up in St Louis and my family used to go on vacations to Branson once or twice a year. The Ozarks are such a fascinating place and loom large in my subconscious.

[@ewill3435]

My family is from West Plains and Springfield before my mom moved to Michigan, so I spent my time growing up split living in Michigan and Missouri. As members of my family who lived in the Ozarks pass, and friends I had there move on, I'm slowly losing my connection to there, but I will always hold the land in my heart.

[@heyseed1673]

Dang, never knew you were a fellow Ozarker, it's nice to hear. Feels like sometimes, the only time we're mentioned is with derision so it's nice to see a video like this.

[@rotomfan63]

Sounds like Appalachia without the coal wars arch

[@crazychase98]

Pretty much

[@dlynn2634]

We had that in Illinois Ozarks, look up bloody williamson

[@everettduncan7543]

Ozarks are defined instead by lead

[@pageboy25]

@@everettduncan7543Well coal mining was pretty important at the foothills of the Southern Ozarks. Pretty considerable coal industry there. Nothing like Appalachia though. Lead really wasn’t as big of a deal as it sounds. It was a pretty important industry in the 1830’s and 1840’s, but after the civil war, the lead industry subsided hard.

[@TheRelen222]

In my hometown, the mines finally closed down around the 1940s. I remember sliding down chat piles in sleds as a kid, before the EPA cleaned everything up.

[@DtotheK88]

I went to Camp Ozark as a kid. Best summer camp ever. They would tell us scary stories at night about some crazy lunatic hillbilly called the “Looper” who lived in the woods and he would come and take kids from the camp. Those stories had us mortified.

[@Ozarks420]

I swear I could hear loud music coming from that camp while fishing all the way on the other side of the lake at the fort wood area. If that is the same camp.

[@DtotheK88]

@@Ozarks420 lol gotta be it if you were around Mt. Ida.

[@HawksDiesel]

Ah, the stories they tell us to keep us behaving.

[@DtotheK88]

@@HawksDiesel yep, meant to keep kids in the cabins at night. But alas the stories freaked kids out so much they banned the counselors from telling them. That camps I all modern and regulated now so it’s not as cool as it used to be.

[@felixtcy]

It’s probably part truth based on the Camp Story Girl Scout killings that happen near Locust Grove in Ok in the mid seventies.

[@Blalack77]

I live at the very southern tip of the Ozarks in northern-ish Arkansas. Seems like people always get bored with and used to the places they live/grow up in and take them for granted but I've lived here my entire 37 years and I've always thought there was something unique and interesting about the Ozarks - maybe even something approaching the spiritual or metaphysical. Like there are a lot of unique and interesting features concentrated here in one place that are similar to a wide range of other places - just like the diverse environments, ecology, geology, etc. Like it kind of seems like it's right in the corner/on the edge of where several different natural boundaries/zones converge. Sort of like how the terrain of Arkansas feels like 4-5 states in one - with the Ozark Mountains in the northwest, the flat farmland out east, the riverlands/river valley in the central part, swamps in the south, almost sort of like semi-arid shrubland in the southwest by Texas, etc. The Ozarks themselves are kind of diverse like that. But I've always liked how the Ozarks are kind of an incognito hidden gem.

[@julzwonders]

Agree 100% Blalack77 The area is unmatched in it's beauty and mystical energy. Just between say Mountain Home and Mountain View just that short distance how many waterfalls and overlooks and creeks etc it's just such a beautiful place.

[@mattisencox8176]

I'm in Mountain Home visiting my family and I was truly amazed at just how mystical, active, exuberant the energy is even just in the trees and hills out here. I can only imagine how incredible it is near the waterfalls and mountaintops.

[@Blalack77]

@@mattisencox8176 Mountain Home is a cool town. That's where my wife went to nursing school for RN. And yeah, there's a ton a waterfalls in Arkansas - and really, mostly kind of in that northwestern quadrant. I've got a book somewhere that is just about Arkansas waterfalls - and it's like a 100 page book probably. My favorite and the one I always went to was Richland - or as we call it around here, Falling Water. Blue Hole is close to Falling Water and it's cool too but not as tall. And then even Haw Creek Falls is just down the road too.

[@codybailey855]

I've traveled and lived all over Europe, the Middle East, and oart of Asia. There's beauty throughout this world of ours, but there's only one place Ill call home. The Ozarks and foothills of Arkansas! It has a beauty and charm all it's own.

[@samgunn12]

I was a kid in Toronto in the mid 1970’s when I heard Ozark Mountain Daredevils on the radio. Next time I was at the public library (which was every week in those days before the internet was even a sparkle in the eye of TBL) I looked up Ozark and ended up doing a geography/social studies project on the area. Got a good grade too.

[@lilolmecj]

Great story!

[@FMCTJR56]

really an under rated band OMD!

[@richardzwolenski2777]

@@FMCTJR56Chicken Train!

[@sammyday3341]

Cool story!

[@christinahighlandgames5593]

My son has done some farm work for Buddy Brayfield of the original group. He eventually left the OMD and became a doctor (who put stitches in another one of my son’s arms). Buddy lives right down the road from us. He and his wife are beautiful souls.

[@kristenreese1966]

My uncles were in Shepherd of the Hills play when it opened. One of them went on to explore Marvel's Cave and open the route used today. My Grandfather opened businesses that are still open. My heart is always in The Ozark Mountains.

[@rowdyyates5345]

I am from the Ozarks! I have always loved what we represented - a simple life and the values that most of America could have cared less about. After retiring from the military, I once again made the Ozarks my home. The only thing I hate about it is all of the outsiders moving in and diluting who we are. I have and am today, proud to be from this area.

[@stephenhargrave7922]

It’s getting ridiculous. We need to put our pointy hats and sheets on to scare them away. Woogie boogie! You notice how fast the California and Texas people change their license plates?

[@clarkecronin5506]

Sounds like someone from about 1939 said.

[@riverdunlap5826]

Tell me about it. Lands getting hard enough to find without the yanks buying it all.

[@ozarkrefugee]

He failed to mention that most of the people in upper Ozark region (in the MO River valley,) were not Scots/Irish, that area is mostly German and Catholic and how those in the Herman area have produced some of the finest German wines. There are also some areas where Italians settled too.

[@RepubsWannaMarryKids]

....I wonder if this is why my scot turned german ancestors settled around there!

[@ozarkrefugee]

Could be, the German immigrants settled the MO River valley because it was so much like the Rhine River valley in their homeland. Also because there was a large German population in the St. Louis area and plenty of markets to sell products/livestock/produce/wine/etc. I had some German/Swiss ancestors that lived around the present day Herman and Berger area in the mid1800's, then they moved to Iowa territory for a time, then settled in southwest MO.

[@peachykeen3626]

My grandparents were from Moravia (Czechoslovakia) and lived in kimmswick via fayetteville TX. My mother's side goes back to Meriwether Lewis family and Virginians/ohioans who converted to Mormonism for a time. So much more history than is mentioned here in this video but a good start

[@ianisles2537]

Yep, I'm mostly German and Indian. And if you don't like it you can go eat a duck butter sandwich, lol 😂

[@AltevBaka]

⁠​⁠@@ozarkrefugee I never in a million years would have guessed I’d see Berger, MO mentioned on a KZbin comment. We’re probably distant cousins 😂

[@impalaman9707]

Granted that most of the Ozarks is in Missouri, I wished that you had given some attention to Northern Arkansas and the Cherokee Nation of Eastern Oklahoma in your doc. They are as much a part of the Ozarks as Southern Missouri is. I believe Eastern Oklahoma is "Where the Red Fern Grows" took place, and was just as much an important film and book about the Ozarks as "Shepherd of the Hills"

[@lacyLor]

Yeah I think the Eureka Springs area is even more beautiful than Branson, although the tourism isn’t nearly as big.

[@impalaman9707]

@@lacyLor FYI--first time I ever ate quiche was in Eureka Sprs and have been eating it ever since. And I'm a man! Also, thank goodness they have remained unspoiled by tourism, as so many others have

[@lacyLor]

@@impalaman9707 Hey quiche is for everyone, it’s delicious! 😂 There’s been a poverty and drug problem amongst the locals there for awhile now. I’ve wondered if there was a more prosperous tourism industry like in Branson if the economy would have fared better but who knows. But I would agree the natural beauty there is pretty unspoiled, which is awesome.

[@GabrielTheExplorer254]

@@lacyLor Nah, Branson still has their fair share of meth heads.

[@janinedahl-labbe9220]

Sad to hear any of this as I live up here in the Ozarks in Arkansas it's very serene and breathtakingly Beautiful 14:48

[@dgator75]

Im from Southwest Missouri and love this area. Im glad things move slower here and we're a bit removed from a lot of the chaos in the world. Plus, it's beautiful country out here and you can actually hear yourself think lol. The quote at the beginning, about stereotypes and a different attitude towards them when coming from "outsiders", is definitely true. Enjoyed the video.

[@fistfightersclub]

Southern Missouri citizen here. Glad to meet someone else that has a respect for the Ozarks

[@calebbailey183]

Dude, this is awesome. I live on the Arkansas side of the Ozarks and there’s a ton more you could get into with all this. The town where I’m from, Cotter there’s a huge railroad boom down, as well as a place for steamboats to come down from Branson through the white river, and you could also mentioned the other theme park that didn’t make it nearly as far as Silverdollar city, Dogpatch, USA in Jasper, Arkansas

[@Guafi777]

I'm from Cotter too. Spent a lot of time down in the swimming hole jumping off the swig rope when I was a kid

[@RepubsWannaMarryKids]

....Dang I know all those places despite never actually ever living there, guess all the visiting family stuck in my head hehe.

[@Mr._Zook]

Ay I used to live in Cotter, the school there has an unfortunate basketball team name

[@brawndothethirstmutilator9848]

@Mr._Zook, Okay I have to ask. What’s their name?

[@E.J.Crunkleton]

I knew the family that owned dogpatch and got sued after the booby traps killed a person.

[@kylenichols5731]

Just as i was feeling a bit homesick, you released this video! I was born and raised in Joplin and still consider it home even though i live in Buffalo, NY now.

[@madethisjustcuz]

My paternal grandfather was born in Deer, AR which is south of "the Ozarks" but this was an area where people who didn't want to be bothered went. I was born and raised in northwest Arkansas. It's so beautiful, and I'm sad how development has taken hold of the area.

[@BraydenCutler]

I loved growing up in the Ozarks. I would always go fish the nearby river and look for arrowheads on the gravel bars. Its definietly a forgotten region in the United States but has some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere.

[@Jack-496]

I’m from Missouri as well, but it’s amazing to realize how little I think of the Ozarks. I live near St. Louis, and the region is only a few miles away from me. Still, I hardly ever think about it and it’s been great to learn more about how someone from the Ozarks views their home.

[@TheKeksadler]

As a West Missourian, I kind of consider St. Louis part of the Ozarks

[@justfellover]

I've learned that when I'm in St. Louis and someone asks where I'm from, I say Springfield, Missouri. If I say Springfield, y'all think I mean Illinois.

[@everettduncan7543]

​​@@TheKeksadlerpeople from this part of the state would put Jefferson county at best in the Ozarks.

[@jacksonramsey4848]

You should cover the Ouachita mountain region, now since they lie directly below the ozarks

[@rodjacobs3396]

Or to cover more of the Arkansas side of the Ozarks for that matter.

[@13_cmi]

@@rodjacobs3396Arkansas has much more impressive mountains. Missouri ain’t got nothing on the Boston mountains. Prettiest place I’ve ever seen that’s within a 12 hour drive from home.

[@alexmason5521]

@@13_cmithose aren’t impressive at all. Beautiful sure. But not “impressive”

[@TheOriginalRick]

In 1978 we moved from San Diego to Northwest Arkansas to attend John Brown University. Mrs. Rick was from the Philippines, and to her San Diego and up the coast to San Jose pretty much represented America. She loved the beautiful Ozark scenery, and was absolutely fascinated when autumn came around and the leaves all changed colors. She had never seen anything like that before. In her tropical country the world is green, so green it can wash away everything else. Then the leaves all fell off the trees. She was devastated. She thought the entire world had died. Everywhere she looked was death to her eyes. Talk about spiraling into a depression. I kept telling her that spring would come, and the trees would get back their leaves again. She had no context as to what "spring" was. By the end of April she was beginning to get back to normal. Took several years for her to get accustomed to the four season cycle we see here. We live outside Chicago now, and we just came back from visiting the college for Homecoming last week. Still enjoy the area.

[@ragjar5818]

What a wholesome story. I wish everyone could read this

[@MikeLandryRailroadMemori-mn7ef]

What I enjoy about winter in Arkansas is the ability to see the interesting rock formations with the leaves out of the way.

[@ACeramicVase-jx3cs]

I had no idea that you were a fellow Ozarker! I am glad you're spreading the history of our area, and showing how beautiful our region is.

[@daveirwin6903]

I grew up in the American west. I used to have the attitude that we had real mountains out there, with the Rockies and the Cascades- and that mountains out east were mere hills in comparison. Then I had to drive an overloaded moving truck across the Ozarks. I had woefully underestimated those “hills.” They were real mountains, and it was a struggle. Fortunately, the commercial truck drivers around me recognized what an idiot I was, and acted as my guardian angels. They safely shepherded me those “hills.” To this day, I am still thankful for their looking out for me. Don’t underestimate the Ozarks.

[@dillonbray]

It's quite amazing how much French pronunciation of native words live on through Arkansas, and Missouri.

[@bradleybalsters2078]

and American pronunciation of French words lol

[@Zidan07166]

Cajun?

[@silerius4856]

Pomme de Terre, Bois D’arc, lots of examples!!

[@neverettebrakensiek8771]

@@silerius4856 There was a specific dialect born of the French, I believe it was called PawPaw, all but gone now I do believe. There were very few speaking it left in the 80s. The French were masters of digging artesian wells, there are quite a few throughout the south central area of Mo Ozarks, through the lead belt. I have such a well here in the Ozarks and consider it an absolute blessing to have. God bless our French and Scots Irish ancestors.

[@johnqprepared6302]

​@neverettebrakensiek8771 some here still speak paw paw but it's nearly gone.

[@Googledeservestodie]

My mom's from Arkansas, and I got to say if there was ever an apocalypse it wouldn't be the worst place to be stuck, it's remote and full of loot for the bold Vault Dweller (a lot of ammo and guns, fishing supplies, lumber, fresh water, etc).

[@clanwatkins]

Just keep in mind, we have a high number of veterans, on my 2 mile stretch of dead end road there are 7🤨

[@dumbpunk1165]

As someone who lives in the southeast kansas part of the Ozarks, we try to forget it too. And honestly, a lot of people don't really know we're a part of the Ozarks because it's such a small part of the SE KS. We definitely don't got the beauty of the rest of the Ozarks.

[@lacyLor]

I live in Kansas and I did not even know we had a sliver of the ozarks 😂

[@carriekent5009]

Actually the French pronunciation of Aux Arcs would sound nearly identical to how we pronounce Ozark. Because Arcs begins with a vowel, there would be a phonetic contraction between the x and A, making a Z sound. Great video!

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

As a fellow Missouri man I say we free the Ozarks from our state so they don’t have to be under Jefferson City.

[@beknown63]

If you wanna get REAL technical, Jefferson City lies on the very northern tip of the Ozark Plateau. (Culturally it’s absolutely not the same thing, though)

[@Smytjf11]

What if we spiritually kicked the capitol to the other side of the river? Maybe Gasconade county will help, somehow the boys in Chamois got their hands on a warship they’ve got stashed on yonder river outside Morrison. It was supposed to be on the other side anyway but we got done dirty by the King of Spain.

[@moredsea]

😂yo

[@everettduncan7543]

The Ozarks are part of the reason Jeff City is crap. St Louis and KC's suburbs are the other

[@Smytjf11]

@@everettduncan7543 They're welcome to leave at any time 😅

[@Jakedab]

I grew up near Joplin, Missouri. I remember as a kid we were at Table Rock Lake in SWMO, and a cousin from Texas called me and my dad hillbillies, and I asked my dad “what’s a hillbilly?”, and he yelled back “WE are hillbillies!”. So l think I basically never knew what a hillbilly was, just that I was one apparently.

[@SewardWriter]

Heh, all of this sounds familiar. My mom grew up south of Joplin, and my siblings spend massive amounts of time at Table Rock. (I burn in shadows, so I don't really do the lake life.)

[@rolmodel12.]

God, I love Table Rock 💚

[@SewardWriter]

@@rolmodel12. Yeah, it's a beautiful place. I made a snake friend the one time I got to visit. He was an adorable pygmy rattler. Very chill. My nephew moved him deeper into the woods.

[@rolmodel12.]

@@SewardWriter niiice! And thank you for respecting (and helping to teach that respect) the wildlife

[@SewardWriter]

@@rolmodel12. NP! Wildlife conservation is a big thing to most of my family. They spend a LOT of time at the lake, and they know to respect the ecosystem. I grew up wandering the Ozarks and going to the zoo, so it was instilled young. Are you going to Table Rock any time soon? It's so beautiful in autumn. Plus, it's nice and cool, and the mosquitoes have holed up for the season.

[@DMAN_2314]

Well done sir. I'm a native Oklahoman but I'm a mere 3 hour drive from the Ozarks region and this year will mark 25 years of visiting the region for me and it's always breathtaking whenever I go up there. Thanks.

[@NanaBren]

I’m born and raised in the NW Arkansas part of the Ozarks. My family is Scots-Irish origin and I have referred to my 21 aunts and uncles as a clan. Admittedly, half of them, through no fault of their own were born in Oklahoma. We still love them anyway. I grew up in what had been a coal mining boom town, next to Altus, AR where all the vineyards are located and about 10 miles from Ozark, AR. Watched a few Hillbilly football games with friends. We were poor, but didn’t know it. Just didn’t have a lot of stuff. I helped farm our land and my grandma’s farm and animals. We drew water from the well, it was from an underground spring and was delightful. No indoor plumbing until we moved to an old house we bought to fix up. I was 11 the first time I had a real bathroom in my house. We went to the Methodist church on Sundays and on Wednesday accompanied Grandma to the Church of Christ for “real church.” Grandma and the coal miners widows raised me because Dad worked for a road construction crew and was away on jobs and Mom was at the hospital with my brother who was born with a birth defect. Times in the 60’s were different. I was taught manners and respect for others. I’m 64 now and I am saddened by the loss of these things. My 2 brothers have genius IQ and are in MENSA. I’m above average IQ. School was important and it was important to have a good education. I think about the kids that dropped out of school by the 8th grade. It was a hard way to live. Today I am a retired nurse and disabled. I live 50 miles away from my home town. The influx of drugs, especially meth has damaged the integrity of so many places and dragged the economy down. I miss riding our big motorcycle all around the Ozarks. It’s a beautiful place and fall is amazing here. We RV Glamped for a few years but my husband has severe disabilities from Vietnam. People are generally very friendly here and will help anyone out if they can. My husband’s family wants us to move to AL, but I never will. This is home.

[@keithrogers589]

you can always tell which side of the Missouri-Arkansas line you're from. If you live in Missouri you are an Ozarkan, if you live in Arkansas you refer to yourself as an Ozarker.

[@Hamuel]

I've lived in Northwest Arkansas a majority of my life and I assure you we call ourselves Ozarkans, never heard anyone utter Ozarker

[@josephclaus3394]

@@HamuelI've lived in the same area and "Ozarkan" just sounds wrong

[@greggdoty3076]

I was raised in Fayetteville and I can remember the term Ozarkan though I haven't heard it in a long time (but I've also lived mostly in Texas for 35 years so there's that) but I don't think I've heard the term Ozarker.

[@carsonianthegreat4672]

If you’re in the Oklahoma or Kansas parts then you are an Ozarkee/Ozarki

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

I prefer arkansawyer lol

[@unbindingfloyd]

Im from Central Texas and when I went into the Ozarks for a camping trip I drove through areas where the trees were standing 5 feet from each other for miles. The thickest darkest forest I ever saw and I've been to many others. The road would be on a hill so as you went up you could see the tops of the trees and as you went down it got dark. It made me think if a tornado came on by I would have no way of seeing it until it hit me. I also stopped at the smallest Walmart I've ever seen in a small town in the middle of the forest for fishing supplies. The ceiling of this Walmart was only around 12 feet high. I've never seen a Walmart with a regular ceiling like that. They always have huge open ceilings but this one felt more like a bigger dollar store. It was strange. The shirts inside were funny though. Half had jokes about punching some random politician from either party or hunting/fishing. Was kinda cozy honestly. On my way out a good ol boy wearing only overalls and boots drove by smiling at my dog. I remember this guy because he looked like a stereotype of a hillbilly. So extreme you would think hes not real. Truck leaning to one side, half his teeth missing and one strap on his overalls. Dude was about that life I guess. My dog seemed to like him when he talked to us so he was good in my book lol

[@yondie491]

As someone who grew up in San Antonio, I have to ask... did you make it out to the Hill Country much? I was thinking about that (and eastern KY) while watching this video.

[@unbindingfloyd]

​​​@@yondie491I've been quite a few places because I joined the Army and wife joined the Navy after I left the Army so I've been all over. Korea, Afghanistan, East and West Coast, all over Texas, and many more. San Antonio is still my favorite full on city in Texas because it has the best mix of Texan culture I think and Fredericksburg is my favorite small town. But yeah I grew up around the Hill Country. Went to high school in Austin and family lived north between Dallas and Austin. I would say the hill country is more standard because you are out in the sticks but I still felt like I had access to a highway or fast food restaurant/gas station. Its rural and hilly but it never feels otherworldly. The Appalachian mountains have places that feel almost cut off from society and you feel like you can get lost. Same goes for the Ozarks. For Texas ironically the most otherworldly place is out West near Marfa. That whole desert area. You go out there and you feel like its a whole other world, especially at dusk. Like the desert can eat you alive if you dont respect it. Thats how I felt in the Ozarks and Appalachia.

[@yondie491]

@@unbindingfloyd being an AF brat is the reason I grew up in SA. Dad was stationed at Randolph for most of my middle/high-school years (we were at Hickman in Honolulu for half of my elementary years), so yeah I get where you're coming from. I absolutely loved Fredericksburg so much. And Bandera and Mason and... other names I don't remember. And Canyon Lake, but I don't think that quite in the Hill Country. Helluvan area

[@unbindingfloyd]

​@@yondie491Yeah all of central Texas is beautiful for sure. I wish I could settle around Spicewood. Ahh some day lol

[@frankbass7561]

The trees are thick because it is second or third or maybe even fourth growth. every acer of the Ozarks has been clear cut at least twice in the last 150 years.

[@kcchristian]

Born and raised in the Kansas City area, and my family makes a trip to Branson every year. It’s such a fun place and the music and shows are actually amazing. Like Vegas, but wholesome😂

[@leahwhiteley5164]

My Dads family has lived in the southern Ozarks (South east of Lebannon) since the early 1800's. Some of the first families to move to the area. We have a written family history. Farmers that were also school teachers. After WWII, my Dad settled in the northeast Ozarks. It's a beautiful area, full of wildlife. As kids we would go to my grandparents and pick up truck beds full of walnuts. We'd pick huge wild blackberries and gooseberries. Grandma had a acre garden full of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, potatoes, dill and other wonderful things. We canned for winter. We all loved the dill pickles we made. We had pie cherry trees all around the outside of the garden. We grew sweet corn and picked persimmons from 2 trees that grew in a field. We had chickens, pigs and beef cattle. My grandma's brother had dairy cows and he'd bring her fresh milk and cream. There's always a stream near by to take a swim in to cool off in summer or go fishing. We'd go to the river to gig for bull frogs. It's a place that provides. If only the ticks and chiggers weren't so bad. They didn't seem as bad when I was a kid. I live in the northern Ozarks and I love it.

[@thomaslally2242]

Missouri pride! Our state is overlooked in its varied history and demographics as well as our impact on the history of the USA at large.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Agree, Missouri and especially the Ozarks are way underrated

[@dingus6317]

Yep St. Louis arch was the gateway to the west. It’s where Lewis and Clark set out from to chart the west

[@haygrl6272]

Even world history. The wine region in Missouri help to save and restore the French wine region after WWII

[@ddstanfield9259]

Don’t worry, As it is central in the U.S. and easy access to the country evenly, KC is going to be growing as people (jobs) move from the east and the west and rail roads being concentrated there. 10 years I see Missouri having a population like California currently has

[@jsdhesmith2011]

I’m glad it’s overlooked though. More and more people are moving into the area, it’s getting very busy and traffic is horrible in some places.

[@jwtplayer]

I'm from that tiny piece of Southeast Kansas. Spent most of my youth in the Ozarks and still visit there often. I love it there

[@kabeefarms]

I’m from Hickory county, you are correct. I myself, know my assenters lived in Kentucky and moved out west to Fristoe Missouri because the land was very similar. Then the family moved farther south to Cross Timbers when they dammed the Osage River. Many of the old trading towns and farmland would soon find itself under 50’ of water once Truman lake was dammed.

[@femboy_fishing]

As a fellow ozarkain who lives right in the middle of the Ozarks and explores them regularly, this is a great video, thank you for making it!!

[@BennygoatHistory]

so weird to think that the midland plains of the USA has some mountains and plateaus, beautiful!

[@gabrielalejandrodoldan4722]

Very old mountains

[@501lilspoon]

Some of the oldest mountains in the world i believe. The towns in the woods up there are cool old timy. I still vividly remember driving through a tiny town that might be a ghost town actually called west fork. It was beautiful but i didn't see anyone.

[@malcolmt7883]

One weird thing about it is that it's a dome. The rock layers in the Ozarks slope uphill toward a spot in south east Missouri, and that's where you find the oldest rocks by far, and the only igneous rocks in the Ozarks.

[@claytondennis8034]

The beauty of the land is unmatched. Take the time to rent a cabin and canoe down Buffalo River National Park or spend time at Bull Shoals, Lake of the Ozarks, or Lake Norfork.

[@TheCrazyMoparDude68]

They aren’t actually mountains, they are classified by the U.S. Geographical Society as a plateau. There never were any mountains in that area, only a very large plateau that has been eroded over the years creating a more rugged terrain with m any valleys.

[@moncorp1]

Back in the 80s when I was still a youngster, I traveled from Ft. Smith to Fayetteville. It was still a two lane road. Now that route is a 4 lane divided highway if I'm not mistaken. I remember looking up and seeing an all wood house with a porch that ran across the entire front of it on the side of a hill. It had a couple of men barefoot in overalls sitting in rocking chairs with a dog lying at their feet. I remember wondering if that was for tourists. It was not

[@mailleweaver]

That old two-lane road is still there. It's now called Scenic Hwy 71. It was bypassed with Interstate 540 in the late 90s and early 2000s. I540 has since been renamed I49 and extended beyond a simple link between Fort Smith and Fayetteville. It now extends all the way to Kansas City and replaced/overlaps Hwy 71 in Missouri. I think the only part of I540 that retains that name is the stretch that's in the Fort Smith/Van Buren city limits.

[@lanzinator4734]

Great video! I'm glad you mentioned the history of lynchings in the region. Many people today who live there today have no knowledge of this or the the fact that the region was littered with sundown towns.

[@coldwar45]

There’s a reason SW Missouri is overwhelmingly white...

[@oldguy-db1qk]

I grew up in Iron County in Missouri right at the foot of its highest point which is Taum Sauk Mountain. A place known as The Arcadia Valley which is one of Missouris most beautiful places. You got this pretty close as a summary of the basic Ozarks. But to be a true Ozarkian you need to go deeper into its history and the accomplishments of its people to get the complete story. One that includes more than just the Branson / Springfield affect. Because of all the marketing for Branson and the Springfield area everyone else gets left out. And yes I'm one of the few who will claim our cousins in Kansas. In Missouri anything north of Branson towards the Missouri River never gets much attention yet it harbors some of the Ozarks best areas. But for the most part you nailed it and I'm glad you did. Between my parents I am Scotch Irish, German and Welch. There are also a lot of French, Italians and other ethnic groups that make up a large part of our north eastern Ozarks. I am proud of my Ozark Hillbilly heritage and I'm very proud of our Ozarks. And just a foot note... every one north of the Missouri River has to have a green card to come south. Just kidding! 🙂

[@CMitchell808]

My great grandmother was from the Branson area. In fact, the place was she was born was so remote, it’s now in a national forest.

[@ozarkrefugee]

I guess your referring to the Carter cemetery on Buesick?

[@augsbourne]

@@ozarkrefugeeor maybe even the Mark Twain Nat’l Forest

[@vortex_master]

As an Appalachian, y'all are a whisper of what we have to offer. All in good jest. I'm a Kentuckian. The Ozarks are (to us) an extension of our own culture, and we love to see it. Beverly Hillbillies was a staple of my childhood (along with other American staples like the Andy Griffith Show and Grand Ole Opry Live, plus Renfro Valley Gatherin' Radio). It's basically you and us left of the old American tradition. Boonesborough and Cave City were once the vacation destinations of America. Now they are practically ghost towns.

[@ozarkrefugee]

All the initial settlers of MO came from KY, TN, VA, and NC. The later settlers came from Germany/Switzerland/Czech/some Italians in certain places.

[@JamesHalfHorse]

Moved here 20 years ago and love it here. I could take a photo of the town square, remove a few wifi antennas and you wouldn't know what decade it was. Neighbors who are there for you but give or take a gossup mill that moves faster than the internet mostly leave you be. Nice place, old ways people are still kind and respectful, if I got keys to my house I don't know where they are and many still leave their keys in the cup holder. Feels a lot like Mayberry or something. It's the way things should be. I did not know a lot of this. Thanks for the information

[@BigCountryASF]

Grew up here. I’m not the brightest but I dropped out in 8th grade and went back today and took my GED test and passed with flying colors. Never have I studied algebra. And I passed it, I missed 2 questions. We aren’t dumb

[@KitsuneRogue]

I first learned of the Ozarks from the movie adaptations of "Where the Red Fern Growns" of all places.

[@lacyLor]

I’ve been to the state park in OK where they filmed that. It’s small but quite pretty. Stayed in a yurt 😂

[@Coralskipper]

I'm from St. Louis, and my entire dad's side of the family is from Taney County, the same county as Branson, and it's a godsend to me. Just to get out there, away from the city does the soul good. I can have a bonfire on a small creek and feel like I'm completely away from civilization and not just an hour away from Springfield and Branson

[@LinearCaesar6]

I live in the town of ozark in Arkansas. Our school mascot is a hillbilly haha. Most around here believe the “aux-arc” from the french gave us our name. We are settled at the bend of the Arkansas river. Super interesting video. America owes a lot to the ozarks but just doesn’t know it.

[@kidthecash]

i visited ozark for the eclipse last month. in the downtown area they have a drawing of a hillbilly on one of their buildings with the phrase “ozark: home of the hillbillies” they really wear it like a badge of honor lol

[@mylegsrrricthy1689]

As an American I can confirm South East Kansas doesn't exist

[@beefcakepantyhose6471]

I was born and raised near potosi Missouri, where Moses Austin is buried. I learned a lot from this video. Thank you

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

I live in East Tennessee and visited Branson this year and it was amazing how similar both regions are especially when compared to the Cumberland Plateau area. I was also surprised by how big the region was, I thought it was just a small area near Branson and didn't know it spread all across southern Missouri.

[@501lilspoon]

Hey neighbor! Im from Little Rock and thought the same thing when i visited Memphis this year about LR and Memphis.

[@rharvey2124]

Don't forget almost half of the Ozarks (including its highest mountains) are in Arkansas.

[@robertchandlerjr5672]

I'm from the Ozarks and I feel in Heaven everytime I visit Eastern Tennessee... its like home cranked up to eleven

[@jayfullerton6981]

I have lived in the Ozarks almost my entire life since age 4, from Leslie as a child to Branson now with my own family. My family owned 700 acres of buffalo river until the government proclaimed imminent domain and took the land from us. Something I think needs to be mentioned, that the Ozark Mountains became a place where people who called them witches fled to in the 1800’s and also in the early 1900’s, to be able to live in solitude and practice their witchcraft in peace. Many stories of witches through these hills. Also the Ozark mountains became a refuge for those that society declared mentally deranged and criminals hiding out from the law. One mountain my grandmother used to tell me was called Outlaw mountain for this reason. She moved to the Ozarks in the 1940’s and said that’s what it was told to her at the time.

[@Icanhandlethetruth702]

yea if you went to dogpatch when it existed in jasper arkansas wasnt there a character that was a witch? Btw, im from leslie also lol. Have a great day

[@jayfullerton6981]

@@Icanhandlethetruth702 I believe so, unfortunately I wasn’t ever able to go when it was open, but I remember as a teenager it was a common dare to venture through the abandoned park at night

[@laydawesome]

I grew up in Ozark and I enjoyed this video very much. I have many fun stories about the area, including a cave being discovered in our backyard and National Geographic coming out. I’ve not seen our area get any recognition beyond Bass Pro Shops, and not many people even know that BP started in Springfield.

[@Meower68]

The "Li'l Abner" comic strip went a long way toward popularizing the hillbilly stereotype. The town, in the comic strip, was called "Dogpatch, USA." There was, for a time, a "Dogpatch USA" theme park in NW Arkansas. It closed in 1993. I remember seeing commercials for it when I was younger and living in rural southern Missouri.

[@dustinbrown7246]

The town was actually called emerald falls. Dogpatch was the fictional town in the comic and the name of the park. I grew up a couple miles from there.

[@SEKreiver]

Cool clip! My Scots-Irish great-great-great grandfather settled in the MO Ozarks. His son was a cavalry officer on the Union side at Wilson's Creek. Then HIS son settled in Labette County, Kansas. The grandson of that man married my mother, who was from the western edge of Labette County. That's where I live. It's called 'The Little Ozarks', a region of about 100sq. miles. Cross west into Montgomery County and things begin to flatten out very quickly. An Osage village was excavated about a mile from where I live.

[@Butterb0ne]

Ignore the scary movies. In the Ozarks, the further you go into the woods, the bigger the houses are!

[@pavelthefabulous5675]

I have extended family who live there, in Missouri. They're Lutheran and mostly live in the more German areas, although it is of course very mixed and Anglicized. There are quite a few small towns named after places in Germany and Poland, and you'll find a lot of wineries. Much of the region has been plundered of its beauty by bad urban planning, but you will still find some places like Washington, Dutzow, and Hermann that are very comfy, especially during winter. The region has a vibe that makes me think EmpLemon could do a video on it. If there's some kind of shamanic curse associated with Southern Missouri, I wouldn't be too shocked. Arguably you do have the New Madrid Earthquake that many Indians saw as vindication of the leader Tecumseh's movement.

[@travislivengood2744]

As an Eastern Kansan with central Missouri roots. I absolutely love the Ozarks. And every time I venture there it feels like going home. Beautiful, inviting. I love the 'Zarks.

[@Lion-Draws]

I live in Fayetteville and worked at Prairie Grove Battlefield Park in high school. Never knew you lived in this area. Love your videos!

[@Riley-uy5pe]

so many furrys from this area lol

[@501lilspoon]

​@@Riley-uy5peArkansas is the natural state 🥁

[@joybrown8644]

I had no idea! When I was a teenager, I traveled with my best friend to stay with her grandmother for two weeks in two separate summers in Dardanelle, Arkansas. Her grandmother took us around the Ozarks and into a place in Oklahoma with a fort. I have always remembered the beauty of the Ozarks, but really didn’t understand the history. It’s kind of a story of if you can’t beat them join them and maximize on that. Oh, her grandmother also took me to the very first Walmart I ever went to. I think that might’ve been the first Walmart in existence?

[@THEWORDCHRISTIANMINISTRY]

The Ozark people, are some of the best people there are!

[@commonweakness9060]

Loved the video. Being a resident of the ozarks for many years now I must point out one missing piece...DOGPATCH U.S.A.! I actually worked there the last years it was open and there were families that had been coming for decades. True, it was not a major influence but it deserves a mention. And the Li'l Abner cartoon that inspired the park. Thanks for the video.

[@rharvey2124]

They even built a ski chalet and used man-made snow for skiing in 1972 I think it was.

[@jamesmendyk8546]

I was surprised dogpatch wasn’t mentioned. It’s was way more hillbilly culture than Silver Dollar city. The author of this vid must be from MO.

[@rharvey2124]

@@jamesmendyk8546 I have noticed almost all books on the Ozarks either totally ignore the Arkansas Ozarks or only give them a few pages. Except for a few miles north of the Arkansas/Missouri border around Branson, I've never seen anything in the Missouri Ozarks higher than hills. Arkansas has the highest mountains in the Ozarks in the Boston Mountains range of them.

[@poetcomic1]

The vast number of Ozark young men who went off to fight in WWII and returned as veterans of fighting alongside all other Americans and got to know another world beyond the hills and hollows.... returned and changed the land forever.

[@kobimiller3455]

I was born & raised in the Joplin Missouri area. We spent summers going on vacation in Branson! Since I graduated from college I’ve lived in Northwest Arkansas and now Kansas City. I have love for the Ozarks and it’s awesome to see it getting some well-needed attention. Especially since the show “Ozark” was so good but not like reality at all!

[@friendlyjunco6836]

Excellent video. Just moved to the Ozarks from California this year. I like it here.

[@greenoftreeblackofblue6625]

2:28 the Ozark Hillbillies is a badass school team.

[@gender_nihilism]

hell yeah! I'm from there, I even speak a local dialect of English so obscure I've never seen it mentioned, and even in the show "Ozark" when someone speaks in the "local dialect" it sounds like someone from further south.

[@otsoko66]

the show was filmed in central Georgia -- so it looks and sounds like central Georgia.

[@tknows470]

I’m fascinated by linguistics, so this really piques my interest. Have you ever seen the US dialect quiz that pinpoints where you’re from? I’m guessing they don’t have the dialect you’re referring to.

[@gender_nihilism]

@@tknows470 correct. Ozark English is not only dying, it's so hard for outsiders to tell apart from other similar dialects that I've scarcely seen anyone even in the linguist sphere mention it. it's very poorly recognized.

[@Nic_17175]

such a badly documented accent! don’t have it myself, since I grew up out of state, but my entire family is from the ozarks and they have so many unique phrases and pronunciations that are so clearly distinct from the general southern accent (which i sort of have). love to hear it!

[@neverettebrakensiek8771]

@@tknows470 Look for French dialect called Pawpaw

[@derekbrown464]

I grew up playing the Ozark Hillbilies in sports and yes the whole town lives up to the school name.

[@foxf6]

Yes we do! 😂

[@stevencrouch2247]

And proud of it

[@missouribankfishing1]

😂 I grew up in the Ozarks. It's an amazing place to live. The school I attended would dismiss for the week of firearms deer season.

[@NefariousKoel]

Our high school (in the Ozarks) didn't completely close but any of the kids who hunted were excused from school during deer season. 👍

[@glennso47]

I’m from Rockford Illinois and when I first met the woman who was to become my wife, she had such a southern accent that I almost needed a translator to understand her. She was from the Ozarks area.

[@mailleweaver]

We do have a heavy accent. I can't hear mine when I'm talking, but in a recording it's undeniable.

[@LukeyShoes12]

Given that the vast majority of my family comes from the Ozarks it always warms my heart to see a piece of work like this about region.

[@andrewruegsegger7754]

Exciting to see a video like this made. I took a whole class last semester at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where I'm still studying, called Ozarkers. It went over much of what you're talking about here. I even went and saw a talk by Brooks Blevins at the Fayetteville Public Library. Really good research on this video, all the way down to the bodark tree ;). Don't know if you noticed the similarity in etymology there (Ozarks-Bodark). Folk don't really understand that a lot of people here took on the hillbilly identity as a means of protection, like you said. There's a neat novel by a local Ozarker named Donald Harrington called "Architecture of the Arkansas Ozarks" that you might be interested in reading. It provides like a microcosm of Ozark development through the history of fictional town located in Newton County, AR. I just met a guy earlier this week (my girlfriend's neighbor, actually) that said Donald Harrington used to be his roommate. The Ozarks are a small place. For myself growing up in North Central Arkansas, a pretty rural and poor part of the Ozarks, Ozark identity is marked by poverty first. The initial notion of backwoods folk living off the land wasn't entirely false, and a lot of folk subsisted off of the land through hunting, trapping, fishing, or otherwise. But the loss of that land through an invasive tourist economy bringing rich recreationists with the money and time to buy large tracts of inexpensive land pushed a lot of those native folk out. Those that have been able to remain try to capitalize off of that tourist economy or find another job in a place that used to be very affordable to live, and live poorly. The way all of this is manifest is regionally-dependent, but much of it holds true all over. Anyway, the current state of the Ozarks and its people is a very complex one, but one that deserves attention. In places like Northwest Arkansas, inflation and rapid development is quickly degrading the local environment and peoples. It's an epidemic. Also, you neglected to mention that Walmart (the BIGGEST company in the world!) was started in Bentonville, AR and hugely affects the economy and culture of Northwest Arkansas.

[@stephenhargrave7922]

You should also look into William Fulbright and the architect who designed the Kennedy center in Washington DC. Both grew up in Fayetteville

[@stephenhargrave7922]

Its degrading so fast Fayetteville cannot even run a county fair or rodeo without a shooting violence, and out of the hundred or so people i know from there, maybe ten remain. Nobody wants to live there anymore except out of state investment from New York, Dallas, San Diego, etc... the city is even giving incentives to builders to tear down old houses. The Mayor is a Walmart puppet who doesn’t even campaign... it’s shameful